This invention relates to a block-type percussion instrument.
There are two main classes of percussion instruments: idiophones, in which sound is produced by striking hard substances together (wood, metal, etc.), and membranophones, in which sound is produced by vibrating a stretched skin.
An example of an idiophonic percussion instrument is the traditional Chinese wooden fish, which is a form of a slit drum carved to resemble a mythical fish. The instrument is hollowed out through a ventral slit representing the creature's mouth and struck with a heavy stick. The wooden fish has subsequently been used, in various sizes, in western orchestras and referred to as a "temple block."
The assignee of the present application, Latin Percussion, Inc., presently markets wood block instruments of several designs and different woods that produce sounds characteristic of earlier Chinese wood blocks. Each is basically shaped as an oblong rectangular block characterized by an elongated slot or groove in the forward face extending substantially, but not totally, through the block. This slot acts as a sound chamber. The block is struck by another piece of wood such as a drumstick or mallet.
While wood blocks such as those sold by Latin Percussion, Inc., produce the desired sound, the instrument is relatively costly to produce. Wood is a difficult material with which to work during the production process. Machining and assembling wood are labor intensive processes which substantially increase the production costs. Moreover, as supplies of quality wood dwindle, prices continue to increase.
The instrument also has certain inherent limitations. First, wood by its nature varies in density, grain structure and other physical properties, which means that the sound and pitch will vary somewhat from piece-to-piece.
Second, splinters or cracks tend to form in the area where the block is constantly hit. Wood blocks, as a result, deteriorate significantly with use.
Third, the actual playing of wood block instruments often presents practical difficulties. It is desirable to mount the instrument on a support, but it cannot be mounted in such a way as to interfere with the sound quality (such as by clamping). Generally, the way wood blocks are mounted is to drill mounting holes into the block. The block is then positioned on a mounting piece that has a pair of forks that extend into the holes, so that the block rests loosely on the forks. This means, however, that the wood block can bounce or move around when struck. Moreover, the design limits the number of different positions into which the block may be placed. Thus mounted, the cantilevered block presents an undesirable playing surface.
Fourth, the playing surface of wood blocks is not always ideal for certain applications. Most wood block users today are drummers. Because of the aforementioned problems in mounting a wood block, it is difficult to orient a wood block so that the playing surface is at a comfortable angle for drummers. Further, the playing surfaces of certain wood blocks require a special mallet to yield the ideal sound. It is generally impractical for a drummer to switch between a drumstick and mallet while playing, which means that the drummer must settle for using a drumstick for striking such wood blocks, even though this does not produce the best sound.
Wood blocks were developed to take advantage of the unique sound properties of wood. Thus, despite the problems inherent with wood, it has long been recognized that other materials will not produce the same sound, and the only way to create an instrument with the sound of a wood block was to build it from wood.